Caster.



PATENTBD PEB. 17, 1903.

A.B.D1ss. l

GASTER.

PPLIGATION :FILED Dna. 9, 1901.

I0 MODEL.

me nomas Purses nu.vmranwuo.wwnumu. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT B. DISS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,790, dated February17, 1903.

Application filed December 9. 1901. Serial No. 85,119. (No model.)

To nf/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. DISS, a citiren of the United States,residing at the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city andState of New York, have invented an Improvement in Casters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improvement upon the device shown anddescribed in Letters Patent granted to me July 3l, 1900, No. e-,956. Inthe device of the said patent a guide-plate surrounding the pintle wasemployed above the disk upon which the tubular leg rested. Thisguide-plate was received within the tubular leg. Where in the seam ofthe tubular leg or in cutting on? the end of the same one or more burswere formed, the edges of this guide-plate were liable to engage thesaid bur and often make it very dimcult to remove the caster from thetubular leg, the said guide plate passing within the boundaries of-thesaid .bur and the said bur acting to hold the same quite rmly in placeand prevent its withdrawal.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this objection, tolessen the number of parts, and reduce the cost of making the casting.

In carrying out my invention I employ a part which performs the doublefunction of supporting the tubular leg and at the same time centeringthe tubular leg with reference to the pintle and other parts of thecasting. This part is in theform of a disk provided with an annular ribor raised portion and which at the central portion rests upon the collarof the pintle, the weight being carried by this disk and collar andtransferred therefrom onto thepintle, jaws, and caster-wheel. The rib ofthe disk occupies a higher plane than the surface of the disk at theperiphery, and the rib also occupies a slightly-higher plane than thecentral portion, which rests upon the collar. Consequently the form ofthe disk possesses great strength and rigidity for the twofold functionthat the same performs. This disk is provided in the annular rib portionwith openings at diametrically 0pposi te points to receive tangs at thefree ends of the spring-frame that spans the pintle and which fitswithin the tubular leg and acts outwardly against the surface of thetubular leg lo frictionally hold the caster in place and prevent thesame accidentally dropping out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section illustrating myinvent-ion. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the caster connected to thetubular legiof a bedstead or other article of furniture. Fig. 3 is-across-section at o: of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of thespring-frame as laid out fiat.

The caster-wheel o., the jaws h therefor, and the pintle c are of usualor well-known construction, and consequently do not require furtherdescription.

e represents the spring-frame spanning the pintle and fitting within thetubular leg g and acting outwardly against the inner surface of thetubular leg to maintain the caster frictionally in placejand to preventthe same accidentally falling out vwhen the article of furniture iselevated or being transported. At the central portion of thisspringframe c I provide an opening of approximately the diameter of thepintle c, and this spring-frame is bent so as to provide a centralbridge portion e and free end portions that are approximately alike andof the same dimensions. The free ends 2 of this springframe areadvantageously curved, so that the edges are farther away from thepintle than the central portion, and these free ends are made withcentral tangs 3. The springframe in connecting the paris is passed overthe' pintle, and projections 5 are stamped up in the ends of the pintleto hold the springframe in place and prevent the same becoming separatedfrom the pintle.

' The disk d is preferably of circular outline and approximately agreesin diameter with the diameter of the tubular furniture-leg. This disk isprovided with a central opening, through which passes the pintle c, andthe disk at .this portion rests upon the collar c' of the pintle. Figs.l and 2 show the' disk in cross-section, the same being formed with araised or overcurved annular rib d', the upper edge of the rib being ina higher plane than the surface of the disk adjacent to the peripheryand the diameter ot' said rib beingsuch that the sameV passes within thetubular leg. The central portion of the disk surrounding the pintle isadvantageously in a plane substantially midway between the IOO upperedge of the rib and the outer surface of the disk, the arched form thusimparted to the disk providing great strength and rigidity in this part,which performs the double function of centeringr the tubular leg as thesame surrounds the rib d and supporting the tubular leg as the samerests upon the outer surface of the disk adjacent to the periphery.Openings 4 are made in the rib of this disk at diametrically oppositepoints to receive the tangs 3 of the spring-frame e. These openingsprovide a limit of distention and compression for the said spring-framee.

When the caster is not in position in the tubular leg, the distention ofthe parts of the spring e brings the tangs against the disk d at theouter wall of the openings 4, so as to limit the outward movement of theparts of the spring-frame, and when the caster is in position the partsof the spring-frame are pressed, preferably, toward each other undertension, so as to hold the caster frictionally in place in the tubularleg. In this position the tangs are free in the openings 4. Vhen thecaster is not in position in the tubular leg, these tangs 3 and theopenings 4 not only prevent the parts of the spring-frame spreading toofar, but also limit the movement of the parts under pressure when movedtoward one another, thus preventing too great a movement, which would belikely to injure the spring qualities of the frame. Careless handlingand testing of the spring-frame by hand and pressing the parts withforce toward one another would be liable to injure the spring-frame wereit not for the tangs and openings limiting this movement.V These tangsare advantageously cut from the parts of the spring-frame, are thereforeintegral therewith, and are of sufficient strength to withstand anyordinary hand-pressure tending to bring the parts of the frame closetogether.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the caster-wheel, jawsand pintle, of a spring-frame spanning the pintle, fitting within thetubular leg and acting frictionally against the inner surface of thetubular leg to hold the caster in place and prevent the sameaccidentally dropping out, a device surrounding the pintle andperforming the twofold function of centering the tubular leg andsupporting the same, and means associated with said device for limitingthe compressive movement of the free portions of said frame,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the caster-wheel, jaws and pintle, of aspring-frame spanning the pintle, fitting within the tubular leg andacting frictionally against the inner surface thereof to hold thecaster-wheel in place and prevent the same accidentally dropping out, adevice surrounding the pintle and performing the twofold function ofcentering the tubular leg withreference to the pintle and supporting thesame and also acting as a stop to out, and a disk surrounding the pintleand j bearing thereon and comprising an upwardlyarched portion orannular rib passing into the tubular leg and centering the same, and asurface surrounding the said rib and adjacent to the periphery of thedisk and upon which the tubular leg rests and is supported, there beingin the annular rib of said`disk openings at diametrically oppositepoints and tangs on the free ends of said spring-frame passing into saidopenings for limiting the movement of said spring-frame in oppositedirections, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination withl the caster-wheel, jaws and pintle, and a collarportion to the pintle, of a disk having a central opening for the pintleand surrounding portion resting upon the collar of the pintle, said diskhaving an arched-over portion or annular rib with the surface above theplane of the central portion and also above the plane of the outersurface adjacent to the periphery, the said rib being adapted to passinto the tubulr leg and center the same and the surrounding portion toreceive and support the tubular leg, a spring-frame spanning the pintle,fitting within the tubular leg and acting outwardly against the innersurface thereof to frictionally hold the caster in place and prevent thesame accidentally dropping out, said springframe having a central bridgeportion with an opening for the pintle and free end portions that arecurved in cross-section so that the respective edges come in contactwith the inner surface of the tubular leg, and means connectedrespectively with the said springframe and the said disk and coacting tolimit the movement of the spring-frame both outwardly and compressively,substantially as set forth.

5. rfhe combination with the caster-wheel, jaws and pintle and a collarportion to the pintle, of a disk having a central opening for the pintleand surrounding portion resting upon the collar of the pintle, said diskhaving an arched-over portion or annular rib with the surface above-theplane of the central portion and also above the plane of the outersurface adjacent to the periphery, the said rib being adapted to passinto the tubular leg and center the same, and the surrounding portion toreceive and support the tubular leg, a spring-frame spanning the pintle,fitting within the tubular leg and acting outwardly against the innersurface thereof to frictionally hold the caster in place and prevent thesame accidentally dropping out, said spring-frame having a centralbridge portion with an opening for the pintle and free IOO IIO

end portions that are curved in orossseoton so that the respective edgescome in Contact with theinner surface of the tubular leg, and integraldownwardly-extending tnngs at the free ends of the said spring-frame,there being openings in the annular rib of the disk at diametricallyopposite points receiving said tangs and in which openings the tangs arefree to move to a limited extent to control the movement of thespring-frame in both direo- 1o tions, substantially as set forth.

ySigned by me this 5th day of'Deoember, 1901.

ALBERT B. DISS.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINGKNEY, S. T. HAVILAND.

